Health and Safety Professionals

Income

Fees

Job Prospects

Job Prospects... At a glance

Job prospects for health and safety officers are above average, and wages are relatively good. Government and key industries are actively trying to reduce serious work-related incidents, and this means there will be increased demand for health and safety professionals in the next few years. However, getting a job specifically as a health and safety inspector can be tough, as WorkSafe NZ only hires a few new trainees every year and there is stiff competition for vacancies.

How to become a health and safety professional

What they do

Health and safety professionals work to promote health and safety in the workplace and public places, and to ensure that working conditions comply with all regulations. This type of work includes monitoring potential risks, investigating incidents, training employees, developing safety procedures, and inspecting machines and equipment.

Skills employers look for

According to the latest information from the New Zealand and Australian online job ads, some of the top skills employers look for include:

Qualifications

Health and safety advisers usually need a diploma in occupational health and safety.

To become a health protection officer, you need a Bachelor of Applied Science (Health Protection major) from Auckland University of Technology, or a Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Health major) from Massey University.

There are no formal entry requirements to be a health and safety inspector. However, successful applicants must work as a trainee health and safety inspector for six months, and then as an assistant health and safety inspector for another 12-18 months.

Cost of study

Health and Safety Inspector Training

Bachelor of Applied Science

$0

$20,400 over three years

Successful applicants to trainee health and safety inspector positions receive training for free, although there could be costs involved for applicants in meeting the minimum application requirements, for example, getting a driver’s licence.

A Bachelor of Applied Science is needed to become a health protection officer, and it costs around $20,400 over three years. Certificates and diplomas for health and safety advisers are likely to be cheaper than this, although fees will vary between the different institutions.

Rents vary from place to place. Estimated market rents by region, city and suburb are available on the MBIE Tenancy Services website.

The StudyLink website provides general budget advice for students, and the Sorted website provides help with detailed budget planning.

The number of health and safety professionals in employment declined slightly between 2006 and 2013. This trend is expected to reverse, and growth at over 3% per year is projected until 2026. The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 recently came into effect, and this is likely to contribute to a higher number of health and safety professionals.

Getting employment as a safety inspector can be challenging however. WorkSafe NZ is the only employer, and it recruits a limited number of trainees every year, as their employees often stay in their roles for a long time. As a result, competition is stiff for the limited number of vacancies.

Employment chart

Source: Statistics NZ Census and MBIE projections

Outcomes after qualification completion*

A Bachelor of Public Health with Honours is a popular degree for students who want to become health and safety professionals, and especially for health protection officers. Three years after graduation, many people with this degree were in employment, while some were in further study or overseas, and very few were receiving a benefit. The median salary was around $51,000 three years after graduation.

Health and safety professionals are not on Immigration New Zealand's skill shortage list

Where to find job vacancies

The number of online job vacancies for occupational and environmental health professionals grew quickly since 2013. This should mean that it has become easier to find work as a health and safety professional. This is a reflection of increased demand.

Jobs advertised chart

Source: Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment

Health and safety professional vacancies are advertised through public media such as the Trade Me Jobs and Seek websites. Safety inspector vacancies are only advertised on the web page of WorkSafe New Zealand.